Wall base construction



Nov. 4, 1969 J. L. SAUNDERS ETAL 3,475,871

WALL BASE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept; 7, 19"? INVENTOR. JAMES L. SAUNDERS VINCENT POLIMENI ATTORNEY.

H64 H65 lea Nov. 4, 1969 J. L. SAUNDERS ET AL 3,475,871

WALL BASE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 7, 1967 INVENTOR.

JAMES L. SAUNMRS BY vmcsm POLIMENI ATTORNEY United States Patent Int. Cl. E04f 19/04 US. Cl. 52273 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE -The invention covers a baseboard for a room or other construction made of resilient base carpeting having an upper edge molding means, said construction being made in a plurality of uniform lengths and adapted to be aftixed-toawall, preferably by some adhesive means, and preferably adapted to match thecarpeting on the floor 0ftheroomor other construction. The ends of the molding means are adapted to be connected together by connecting means, and the edges of the carpeting material portions are adapted to be matched together, adhesively or otherwise, to provide a continuous length of wall base construction. In addition, the molding means and the carpeting material portions are adapted to follow around corners as necessary, and present a finished wall base construction.

This invention relates to wall base constructions such as baseboards and covings which are used to finish off room construction generally, and in particular to such wall baseconstructions as are adapted to abut the edges of 'wall-to-wall floor carpeting.

In essence, the invention'comprises a wall base panel made of carpeting material in combination with a novel edge binding, or molding means, for said material, said combination being secured to the lower portion of a wall in" a' position where a baseboard or coving would normally be placed.

The type of carpeting particularly adapted to this construction is the multi-filament nylon, or the like type, having a resilient base. This type of carpeting is easily adapted to' be secured to itself edge to edge, and to floor or wall surfaces, by means of standard carpet adhesives which are well known to the art.

It is a further part of the invention to provide such a construction wherein prefabricated section of the wall base may be secured together to form indeterminate lengths as desired, and also where the prefabricated wall base may be formed around inside and outside wall corners.

The prior art construction usually consists of either a baseboard approximately 4 inches in height made of wood molding which is nailed or fastened by other means into the lower portion of a wall, or a rubber or plastic coving which may be secured by adhesive or other means to the lower portion of a wall.

'It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a'novel baseboard, or'wall base, construction easy to apply, having means to fit it easily to indeterminate lengths and to corners, and being of a nature to match floor coverings.

It is a further object to provide such a baseboard which may be maintained and cleaned'in the same manner as a floor covering, such as acarpet.

These objects, and others, are achieved in the construction'of the invention which has many advantages over the prior art. In the first place, the material of the wall base can be made of the same material as the carpet which covers the floor, thereby providing an automatic m'at'ch between the materials of the wall base and the hoe floor. Secondly, the wall base construction of the invention is economical to manufacture and install, and it may be maintained and cleaned by the same tools and methods as are used on the carpeting with which it is used.

The construction of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a room or construction showing the wall base construction of the invention installed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the wall base construction and a portion of the floor covered with carpeting along the lines 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper part of the carpeting portion of the wall base construction with the lower part cut away;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the molding means of the invention shown in open position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the molding means of FIG. 4 in position over the carpeting of FIG. 3, while still in open position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but with the molding means shown in closed position on the upper edge of the carpeting material;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a jig for guiding cuts in the molding means to aid in bending;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view through the jig of FIG. 7 shown in position over a molding means prior to cutting same;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation of the invention with parts cut away showing how the molding means appears after being cut;

FIG. 9a is a top plan of the view shown in FIG. 9 with a diagrammatic representation of an angle;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a wall base construction panel system in position;

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are perspective views of connecting clip means of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the system of FIG. 10 installed with connecting clip means as shown in FIGS. 11 through 13, in position; and

FIG. 15 is a sectional view through connecting clip 50 as seen from lines 1515 in FIG. 14.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A wall base construction 20 of the invention is made of multi-filament nylon pile carpet 22 having a resilient base 24 having a surface of multi-filarnent nylon pile 26. We prefer to use panels 20 of carpeting 22 approximately 4 inches in height and 4 feet 6 inches in length. The 4 inch height is dictated by the usual baseboard construction, and the four feet six inch length is arbitrary only insofar as being a convenient length for purposes of storage and handling. The wall base of the invention can, of course, be made in various heights and in any length desired.

The wall base construction or panel 20 of the invention may be made of any other suitable carpeting material which will come within the scope of the disclosure as described herein.

The wall base construction panel 20 is provided with a molding means 30 comprising a base portion 32, an angled face portion 34, joined to the base portion 32 along angle line 36, said angled face portion having an upper portion 38 and a lower portion 40 provided with a lip line 42 for gripping the carpeting material 22, all as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Reference to FIG. 3 of the drawings will show the upper portion of a piece of carpeting 22 which is used as a panel of the invention, and reference to FIG. 5 will show the same upper portion of carpeting with a molding means 30 in position around its upper edge, while still in open position as shown in FIG. 4. Reference to FIG. 6 will show the molding means 30 pressed from open position to closed position with lip line 42 pinching and gripping upper edge line of carpeting 22, as indicated at reference numeral 44, between lip 42 and base portion 32 to make a firm and positive connection between the molding means 30 and the carpeting 22.

While it is preferred to use carpeting for the material 22, any flexible material having the same properties may be used.

This completes a unit, or panel 20, of the wall base construction, and in the preferred form it will be approximately 4 inches high and 4 feet 6 inches wide as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Reference to FIG. 2 will show that the floor material, or carpeting, 23 may be installed under the panel 20 as shown, or the panel 20 may come directly down to the floor with carpeting 23 brought up to the panel to form a closed corner between the floor and the wall construction as illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein the carpeting 23 comes up to and meets the panel 20.

A wall of a room is usually more than 4 feet 6 inches in length, or longer than the standard length selected for each panel 20. In such case, a number of panels 20 are placed side by side for the length of the wall. If the Wall is of a length which may not be divided evenly by the increment of 4 feet 6 inches, or such other length as may be selected, then one of the panels must be cut to a shorter length in order to fill the space. This is done easily by cutting the molding means 30 with a hacksaw or by any other means, and then cutting the carpet portion 22 with a carpet knife or by any other means, and to even it off for the desired length.

Sections of panelling 20 are then placed side by side and adhesively secured to a wall such as wall 46, and a molding means 30 is connected by means of a connecting clip means such as clip 50. Clip 50 has a back portion 52, an upper covering face 54, and a lower covering face 56, and is proportioned so that it will fit snugly over the molding means 30 gripping the material 22 as shown in FIG. 6.

Reference to FIGS. 1 and 14 of the drawings will show that reference numeral 58 indicates the line of edge abutment at which the two panels 20 come together. Straight connecting clip means 50 fits over molding 30 over the line 58, and the edges of the carpeting fit together along line 58. The edges of the carpeting may also be adhesively secured together. The clip 50 will maintain itself in position because it is made of a springy material such as steel, plastic, metal, or the like, and will grip the molding 30 with sufficient strength and fit to be maintained in position.

The invention also contemplates provision for adapting the wall base construction to run along inside and outside corners such as corners 60 and 62 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and of the drawings. The molding means 30 of a panel 20 may be bent inwardly or outwardly to the degree necessary to negotiate the corner. Most corners are usually 90 degrees, and a 90 degree bend is illustrated in each instance. It is to be understood that the bend can be either smaller or greater than 90 degrees to accommodate differently sized corners.

The bend is made by providing the molding means 30 with a V-shaped cut in its angled face 34. For a 90 degree corner, whether an inside corner or an outside corner, the V-shaped cut, when viewed from above as seen in FIG. 9a of the drawings, is measured by a 90 degree angle forming bevelled portions 66 and 68. (The angle of cut is varied for the angle of Wall to be accommodated.) Molding means 30 as well as the carpeting 22 may then be bent along a bend line 63 as indicated in FIGS. 9 and 9a of the drawings, either inwardly or outwardly. If the bend along bend line 63 is made inwardly, bevels 66 and 68 will come together as shown at inside bend 64 in FIG. 10 of the drawings completing an inside bend of the molding means 30 and the carpeting 22.

.4 A jig or tool 72 is provided to guide the artisan, or mechanic, in making this 90 degree cut for a normal 90 degree corner. Jig 72 has a back portion 74, a front overlie portion 76 and bevelled portions 78 and 80. The molding means 30, together with is carpeting 22, as comprised in a panel 20, is placed within the jig so that the back portion 74 and the overlie portion 76 fit against the back 32 and the face upper portion 38 as illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawings. i

In FIG. 8 the carpeting portion has been left out for clarity. However, it is to be understood that the cut may be made with the carpeting portion in place (as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 of the drawings). The mechanic then makes his cut with a hacksaw or otherwise and has a 90 degree V-shaped cut provided with the bevelled edges 66 and 68.

An outside bend may be made by bending the molding means 30 of carpeting 22 along an outside bend on bend line 63, and the result will be the outside bend 82 as illustrated in FIG. 10 of the drawings having its bevels 66 and 68 in the position as shown with the carpeting material 22 bent around the comer.

Tools 72 having various angles to fit various wall corners may be supplied. We may also provide an adjustable tool 72 which may be adjusted to make cuts for unusual angled corners.

We have also provided finishing clip means such as clip 84 shown in FIG. 12 and clip 94 as shown in FIG. 13 to finish off the molding means. The carpeting means needs no finishing as it bends naturally around either an inside or an outside corner. Clip 84 has a bent portion 86, an overlie back 88, an upper overlie front portion 90, and a lower overlie front portion 92. Here again, the clip fits over the molding means 30 in the same manner as clip 50, and will maintain itself in position. Clip 94 designed for an outside corner comprises a bend 96, an overlie back portion 98, an overlie upper front portion 100, and an overlie front portion 102 and fits over the molding means 30 in the same manner as the connector clip 50 and the inside corner clip 84.

We have illustrated an installation comprising all three clips in FIG. 14 of the drawings. Reference to FIG. 10

. will show an installation around an inside and outside corner 60 and 62 without clips in position, and FIG. 14 shows a similar installation with three 'clips 50, 84 and 94 respectively in position.

As an optional feature of the invention, we may provide a veneer 104 on the molding means 30, the clip 50, the clip 84 and the clip 94, or any other parts, to comprise a molding means in accordance with the invention. This veneer may be a finishing metal outside of the metal of the molding means and clips, or it may be a plastic which is bonded to the metal of the molding means and the clips. The purpose of the veneer is to provide a further decorative eflect. The veneer may be made up to simulate woods, metals, wallpapers or any other decorative feature wherein the panels 20 of the invention are used. r

In FIG. 11 of the drawings in which clip 50 isillustrated, we show the veneer portion 104 to be' simulated as a walnut veneer done in plastic over steel. It is to be understood, of course, that in any of the components of the invention, the molding may be made of either metal or plastic, as suitable and available, and that the veneer may be made of any suitable material which can'be either bonded or held over the frame portion; of the molding.

In FIG. 12 of the drawings, we show the veneer portion 104 having a series of design circles on theupper overlie front surface 90. FIG. 13 of the drawings shows a veneer paint, it being understood that it can 'be in one or more colors.

We may provide our invention in finished form with the panels 20 prefrabricated at the factory, with jigs 72 and clips 50, 84 and 94 to be used as needed; or we may provide the components such as the folding 30 in open form as in FIG. 4, and the carpeting 22, to be completed at the site of the installation.

While we have described our invention in its preferred form, there are other forms which it may take without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and we, therefore, desire to be protected for all forms coming within the claims hereinbelow.

Wherefore we claim:

1. A wall base construction for a structure comprising at least one wall and at least one floor: comprising at least one flexible material panel having upper, lower and side edges; molding means comprising a body portion made of a bendable material comprising base por tion means, and face portion means including lip portion means; said base and face portion means being connected along an angle line and being adapted to -be pressed along said angle line from an open position to a closed position to grip said upper edge of said flexible material panel securely between said lip means and said base means, said lower edge of said flexible material being substantially parallel to said upper edge and adapted to be positioned at the lower portion of said wall relatively near said floor; with said molding means, gripping said upper edge, being positioned above said lower edge; with the wall base construction being aflixed to said wall; in which the molding means is provided with at least one V-shaped cut comprising bevel portions which converge and meet at a point substantially at said angle line and said molding means is adapted to be bent along the base portion means on a line passing through said bevel portion meeting point; in which the molding means and the flexible material are bent along the said line on the said base portion, and there is finishing clip means adapted to overlie the base portion of said molding means and the face portion of said molding means in a springy clip relationship, said finishing clip means being adapted to cover the bent portion of the molding means to cover at least a portion thereof.

2. A wall base construction as defined in claim 1 comprising a plurality of panels, each panel including molding means at an upper edge thereof, said panels being arranged laterally with the molding means in edge abutting relationship in combination with connecting clip means made of a springy material and adapted to fit snugly over the molding means at the abutting edges thereof.

3. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1, in which the flexible material panel is comprised of a carpeting material including a resilient sponge base.

4. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1,

in which the panels in edge to edge abutting relationship are aflixed to said wall and to each other by adhesive means.

5. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1, in which the bent portion of the molding means is an inside bend adapted to be disposed in a corner of a wall surface of less than degrees.

6. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1, in which the bent portion of the molding means is an inside bend adapted to be disposed in a corner of a wall surface of more than 180 degrees.

7. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1, in which there are a plurality of bent portions, as least one of which is less than 180 degrees.

8. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1, in which there are a plurality of bent portions, at least one of which is more than 180 degrees.

9. The wall base construction as defined in claim 1, in which there are a plurality of bent portions, in which at least one is less than 180 degrees and at least one is more than 180 degrees.

10. The wall base construction as defined in claim 5, in which the molding means is made of material having a veneer coating.

11. The wall base construction as defined in claim 10, in which the veneer coating is a plastic.

12. The wall base construction as defined in claim 11, in which the plastic coating is a vinyl.

13. The wall base construction as defined in claim 10, in which the veneer coating is provided with a simulated wood finish.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,044 4/ 1938 Bonnell 52-288 2,258,314 10/ 1941 Bonnell 16-7 2,310,952 2/1943 Greer 52506 2,833,001 5/1958 Montefalco 52506 X 2,843,889 7/1958 Keller 52716 X 2,884,669 5/ 1959 Hillson 52288 2,994,905 8/1961 Franker 52273 3,007,213 11/1961 Hobbs 52273 X 3,192,576 7/1965 Wieting 52287 X FOREIGN PATENTS 170,420 1952 Austria.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner U.S. C1.X.R. 

